Appropriations Standing Committees--Structure and Size

Legislative Budget Procedures: Deliberation on the Recommended Budget

Legislative Budget Procedures Executive Summary

Appropriations Standing Committees--Structure and Size

	Appropriations Committees				Joint Appropriations Committees				Also Serving on Other Standing Committees
	Assembly or House		Senate		Assembly or House		Senate		Also Serving on Other Standing Committees
State or Other Jurisdiction	No. of Members	% of Total	No. of Members	% of Total	No. of Members	% of Total	No. of Members	% of Total	Assembly or House	Senate
Alabama	15-C	14%	18-C*	51%	--	--	--	--	x	x
Alaska	11-C	28	7-C	35	--	--	--	--	x	x
Arizona	15	25	14	47	8	13%	8	27%	x	x
Arkansas	--	--	--	--	21	21	20	57	x	x
California	21*	26	13*	33	--	--	--	--	x	x
Colorado	11*	17	10*	29	3*	5	3*	9	x*	x*
Connecticut	--	--	--	--	43	29	9	25	x	x
Delaware	*	--	*	--	8*	20	6*	29	x	x
Florida	57*	48	39-C	98	--	--	--	--	x	x
Georgia	65*	36	35*	63	--	--	--	--	x	x
Hawaii	17-C	33	11-C	44	--	--	--	--	x	x
Idaho	10	14	10	29	10-C	14	10-C	29	x	x
Illinois	60*	51	13	22	--	--	--	--	--	--
Indiana	25-C	25	15-C	30	--	--	--	--	x	x
Iowa	25	25	24	48	--	--	--	--	x	x
Kansas	23	18	11	28	--	--	--	--	--	x
Kentucky	29-C	29	13-C	34	--	--	--	--	x	x
Louisiana	19	18	12	31	20*	19	13*	33	x	x
Maine	--	--	--	--	10-C*	7	3-C*	9	--	x
Maryland	27	19	13-C	28	--	--	--	--	x	x
Massachusetts	31-C	19	17-C	43	--	--	--	--	x	x
Michigan	27	25	13	34	--	--	--	--	--	x
Minnesota	25	19	67-C*	100	--	--	--	--	x	x
Mississippi	30	25	26	50	5	4	5	10	x	x
Missouri	110*	68	14	41	--	--	--	--	x	x
Montana	18	18	17	34	--	--	--	--	x	x
Nebraska	--	--	9*	18
Nevada	14	33	7	33	--	--	--	--	x	x
New Hampshire	24-C	6	7	29	--	--	--	--	--	x
New Jersey	13-C	16	7-C	18	*	--	*	--	x	x
New Mexico	17	24	11	26	8*	11	8*	19	x	x
New York	34-C	23	27-C	44	--	--	--	--	x	x
North Carolina	77*	64	20*	40	*	--	*	--	x	x
North Dakota	22	22	13	27	--	--	--	--	--	--
Ohio	30	30	12	36	--	--	--	--	x	x
Oklahoma	39	39	46	96	--	--	--	--	x	x
Oregon	--	--	--	--	10	17	8	27	--	x
Pennsylvania	32	16	23	46	--	--	--	--	x	x
Rhode Island	17-C	17	16-C	32	--	--	--	--	--	x
South Carolina	24-C	19	18-C	39	--	--	--	--	x	x
South Dakota	10	14	9	26	*	--	*	--	--	--
Tennessee	30-C	30	9-C	27	--	--	--	--	x	x
Texas	27	18	14-C	45	5*	3	5*	16	x	x
Utah	--	--	--	--	10*	13%	11*	38	x	x
Vermont	11	7	7	23	--	--	--	--	--	x
Virginia	22*	22%	17-C*	43%	--	--	--	--	x	x
Washington	42*	43	21-C	43	--	--	--	--	x	x
West Virginia	25-C	25	17-C	50	--	--	--	--	--	x
Wisconsin	--	--	--	--	8-C	8%	8-C	24%	--	--
Wyoming	7	12	5	17	*	--	*	--	--	--
American Samoa	7	33	4	27	--	--	--	--	--	--
District of Columbia	--	--	4-C*	50	--	--	--	--	--	--
Guam	--	--	12-C*	57	--	--	--	--	--	--
Northern Mariana Islands	11-C	61	7-C	39	--	--	--	--	x	x
Puerto Rico	15-C	38	14-C	88	--	--	--	--	x	x
U.S. Virgin Islands	--	--	7	47	--	--	--	--	--	--
Total: States									36	44
Total: States and Territories									38	46

Source: National Conference of State Legislatures, December 1997, and Congressional Quarterly State Staff Directory, 1997.

Key:
-- = Not applicable
C = Combined appropriations and revenue jurisdiction
N/ A = Not available

*Notes:

Alabama--At present, Finance and Taxation/ Education (14 members) is responsible for education appropriations and the Economic Expansion and Trade Committee (four members) for general government appropriations. In the Senate, there are a total of four money committees: the Senate Finance and Taxation/ Education Committee (14 members), the Senate Finance and Taxation/ General Government Committee (13 members), the Fiscal Responsibility and Accountability Committee (nine members), and the Economic Expansion and Trade Committee (four members).

California--Both houses have an appropriations committee. In the House there is also a Budget Committee (28 members), and in the Senate there is a Budget and Fiscal Review Committee (14 members).

Colorado--Appropriations Committees are staffed by Joint Budget Committee (JBC) staff; JBC members sit on their respective Appropriations Committee; the JBC chair chairs his or her Appropriations Committee and JBC vice-chair chairs his or hers. The Joint Budget Committee is the principal deliberating body on the budget. The JBC has the budget for approximately four months; the appropriations committees and party caucuses review the budget bill for approximately two weeks. The major activity of the appropriations committee is the review of new legislation that has fiscal impacts. Members of the JBC also serve on the respective House or Senate appropriations committee but do not serve on other standing committees. Non-JBC members of the appropriations committees do serve on other standing committees.

Delaware--The Joint Finance Committee comprises the House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Finance Committee. The only tasks of the Joint Finance Committee are to complete a budget bill and grant-in-aid bill.

Florida--The number of members includes those on the five appropriations committees (57). The House Fiscal Responsibility Council comprises the five appropriations committees and a revenue committee.

Georgia--Committees meet jointly for hearings only.

Illinois--A total of 60 members serve the House appropriations committees on education, general services, human services and public safety.

Louisiana--Louisiana has an appropriations committee in both the House and Senate; these two committees combine to form the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget. In addition to the members, the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee and the chair of the Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee (or their designees) are members of the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget. There is also a Joint Committee on Capital Outlay.

Maine--The Joint Standing Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs reviews the entire budget, including all revenue proposals.

Minnesota--Of this total, 44 members serve on a budget division: Education Finance, State Government Finance, Human Resources Finance. While mainly having appropriations jurisdiction, there are a few exceptions. Twenty-three members serve on the Senate Taxes and Finance Committee, which has combined jurisdiction over appropriations and revenue bills.

Missouri--In the House, there are separate appropriations committees for Education and Public Safety (24 members), General Administration (18 members), Health and Mental Health (18 members) Natural and Economic Resources (26 members) and Social Services and Corrections (24 members).

Nebraska--Unicameral Legislature.

New Jersey--The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee and the Assembly Appropriations Committee conduct an independent review of the governor's budget recommendations and each committee reports an annual appropriations bill. Differences between bills are reconciled by amendment or substitute bill after the committees have completed the review. A Joint Budget Oversight Committee (six members) is established in Joint Rules to approve transfers of appropriations during the fiscal year and other responsibilities as required by law or rule.

New Mexico--The Joint Legislative Finance Committee is an interim committee with oversight functions. It is also responsible for formulating the legislative and executive budget recommendations.

North Carolina--Meeting jointly, 77 members serve the Appropriations Committee from the House and 20 members serve the Appropriations Committee from the Senate. (House and Senate committees may vote independently.) In addition, 34 members serve on a Base Budget Committee.

South Dakota--House and Senate committees meet jointly for agency hearings and construction of the General Appropriations Act.

Texas--The Legislative Budget Board usually does not meet during the session. The Committee is responsible for making a budget recommendation that produces the appropriations bill introduced in each house. Membership includes the lieutenant governor (presiding officer of the Senate), House speaker, and chairs of Senate Finance, Senate State Affairs, House Appropriations and House Ways and Means committees.

Utah--The Joint Executive Appropriations Committee established policy guidelines for subcommittees. The Executive Committee membership is 10 House members and 11 Senate members. The majority party in each house has no more vote than the minority.

Virginia--Committees meet jointly for hearings only.

Washington--The House has two appropriations committees, one for the operating budget (31 members) and one for the capital budget (11 members).

Wyoming--Appropriations committees meet jointly during the interim.

District of Columbia--Unicameral Legislature.

Guam--Unicameral Legislature.

U.S. Virgin Islands--Unicameral Legislature.

Published March 1998; posted January 2004.
The publication to which this table belongs, Legislative Budget Procedures: A Guide to Appropriations and Budget Processes in the States, Commonwealths and Territories, is available wholly and solely online.
Email statebudget-info@ncsl.org for more information.
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